Criminal Offenses

DRUGS (POSSESSION AND DISTRIBUTION):

Ms. Clay has extensive experience in both misdemeanor and felony drug cases including: possession and/or distribution of marijuana, heroin, cocaine, so-called club drugs like Ecstasy/Molly. She also has experience in the illegal possession and distribution of prescription drugs such as OxyContin and amphetamines.

Ms. Clay will investigate your case thoroughly to search for any defenses you may have such as mistakes made by law enforcement and/or the prosecution, as well as any violations of your constitutional rights.

ASSAULT, ASSAULT AND BATTERY, DOMESTIC ASSAULT, MALICIOUS WOUNDING:

A fistfight in a bar or a split second of losing control of your anger with a loved one could result in criminal charges that could have an impact on the rest of your life. That impact is even greater if someone was severely injured.

There are several types of offenses in this class of crimes such as assault, assault and battery, malicious wounding, and more. The actions range from something as simple as spitting at/on another person to causing serious bodily injury.

Assaultis a threat of bodily harm along with an apparent, present ability to cause the harm even if there was no physical contact. For instance, if a person has a knife and while holding it makes threats against someone else, that is assault.

Batteryis when there is unwanted physical contact with another person in an attempt to do harm. The physical contact could be something as minor as grabbing another person’s arm and as serious as knife wounds.

Malicious Woundingis often coupled with assault charge if the injures to the other person are severe. If a person loses their temper and uses a weapon or another object to injure someone, they can face an additional felony charge. The seriousness of which is dependent upon victim’s injuries. In order to be convicted of malicious wounding the prosecution must prove that the defendant intended to maliciously wound the other person, which is a Class 3 felony that carries up to 20 years in prison. However, if the victim suffers “permanent and disfiguring” injury due to the wounding the charge becomes a Class 2 felony which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Ms. Clay has extensive experience in looking at these types of cases in detail in order to formulate a defense. For instance, was it self-defense? Who are the witnesses and are they credible? How soon after the alleged incident was the crime reported? Who is the victim and his he/she credible? How much has their story changed each time it has been told to others, law enforcement and the prosecution. Ms. Clay has the experience needed to get the best possible outcome on these types of cases.

PROPERTY CRIMES:

Ms. Clay has experience in many types of property crimes such as, credit card theft, identity theft and arson.

These type of crimes have punishments that vary from up to 12 months in jail to life imprisonment and everywhere in between. You need an attorney who will pay particular attention to details such as your constitutional rights against illegal search and seizure and the right not to self-criminate. When your actual freedom is at stake, you can trust Ms. Clay to exhaust all possible defenses and work tirelessly to obtain the best outcome possible.

BREAKING AND ENTERING, LARCENY, BURGLARY AND ROBBERY:

BREAKING AND ENTERING:

In reality, nothing needs to be actually broken for you to be convicted of this crime. Any type of force to enter a home, even lifting a window or opening a door, can result in a conviction on this charge.

The punishment for this offense varies based on the circumstances. For instance, was the breaking and entering at night? Were there people in the dwelling at the time? Was a deadly weapon was used?

If you are facing charges such as these, your liberty is too important to trust anyone but an experienced criminal defense attorney.

PETIT LARCENY AND GRAND LARCENY:

Larceny is the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another from his or her possession with the intent to deprive the owner of the property. The penalties for this crime will depend on the value of the object a person allegedly takes control of. For instance,

Petit Larcenyoccurs when the value of the property is less than $200. If the property is taken directly from another person and is valued less than $5, it is considered petit larceny. The punishment for a conviction of petit larceny is up to 12 months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500.00.

Grand Larcenyoccurs when the value of the property is $200 or more. If the property is taken directly from another person and is valued at more than $5 or is a firearm of any kind, it is considered grand larceny. The punishment for a conviction of grand larceny is 1 to 20 years in prison.

BURGLARY:

If you illegally enter a house, business or another structure intending to commit a crime, you could be facing burglary charges. Entering through an unlocked door intending to commit a crime is the same as if you broke a window or door to get in.

You can be convicted of burglary even if there was no physical force used against a person and even if no property was taken.

However, if you are were the true owner of property you may have a defense depending on the facts and circumstances of the case.

If you are convicted of burglary, you could be punished by up to 20 years in prison. If a deadly weapon was used during the burglary, you could be punished by life in prison.

If you need a criminal defense attorney, contact our firm. Our experienced, tenacious attorneys will help you achieve the best possible outcome in your case.

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Testimonial

“I went for a consultation and after a lot of thought I hired Ms. Clay. I found her to be up front and honest from day one, but most of all she listens. She took what I had to say into consideration making no promises but reassuring me she would do her best. I would highly recommend her."